Eight lecturers of the Niger State College of Education, Minna have been suspended and two others dismissed over sexual harassment and sale of handouts.
The Provost, Prof. Faruq Haruna Rasheed told the State Governor, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu who paid an unofficial visit to the school that before his appointment, the school suffered from neglect, lack of infrastructural facilities such as classrooms, laboratories and office accommodation.
He said that there were no access roads, culverts, and drainages within the college. However, the don said that the school was gradually regaining its position in terms of staff discipline and infrastructural development.
The Provost disclosed that about 6,000 certificates have so far been processed and issued to students by the institution in order to put a stop to certificate racketeering and pointed out that the management has also banned the sale of handouts to the students.
In his remarks, Governor Aliyu directed the management of the College to immediately put measures in place to ensure that only quality teachers were trained in the institution.
Governor Aliyu said that it was better for the school to produce one quality teacher that would greatly improve the standard of education in the State, than producing 10 unqualified teachers that would worsen the situation.
As part of measures to ensure academic excellence by the college, the Governor directed the institution to, henceforth, carry out her Pre-NCE programmes outside the premises of the college as well as to drastically reduce the students’ enrolment for such programme.
He also directed the management to always conduct test measurement for candidates seeking direct admission into the College. This, the governor said would enable the institution to ascertain the genuineness of the results presented for admission. He also directed the management to reduce the overall number of enrolment from 7000 – 3000 students in the school.
Governor Aliyu further ordered the management to conduct staff auditing so as to flush out unqualified lecturers as well as those with questionable characters in the school.
Governor Aliyu condemned the over-centralisation of issuance of certification by the National Commission for Colleges of education and advised the college to commence processing the certificates within the school even as he stressed that the measure would stem the tide of certificate racketeering.